If things had gone differently
by MissDavenport
Summary: Alternative COB. What if Clary hadn't gone to Pendamonium that night? She wouldn't have met Jace like that and he wouldn't have gone to get her from the coffee shop. What other happenings would have gone differently? NO LONGER ONE-SHOT
1. Chapter 1

Ok, this is a one-shot, in a way. Please please please R&R! Even if only to say "yay" or "nay"! I LOVE to hear that people are reading and enjoy reading your comments even more so...R&R R&R R&R!

Alternative COB…What if…

Clary hadn't seen Jace that night at Pandemonium? What if they'd met…differently?

_PREFACE: "I'm not going to hurt you." Said the figure. She was right in thinking it was a boy. He had a soft, beautiful and persuasive voice, nothing like the creature she'd just encountered. Where was it? Had this boy killed it? Clary peeked out from under her wild red hair. The boy was looking at her. She could faintly see his face in the dim light. What she saw was nothing monstrous, quite the opposite, he was beautiful. "My name is Jace Wayland." He said softly, still not risking extending his hand again. Clary let another whimper escape her lips. This seemed to alert some urgency in the boy in front of her. "What's your name?" he asked. Clary didn't say anything, couldn't say anything. He nodded. "Will you let me help you? He asked. He didn't seem to be getting impatient, he seemed worried._

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Clary ran from the coffee shop. She'd seen nine missed calls, all from her mother, flashing from the screen of her phone as though they were bright and flashing warning lights. Something must be wrong, she thought. Her mother would have normally let her calm down from the fight and let her come home by herself. Why had she called so much? And why had she stopped so suddenly? The phone said that in five minutes her mother had called her nine times, then…nothing. For an hour now she'd had no calls. From the moments Simon had told her how he felt, she'd put her phone on silent, dealing with one thing at a time, she told herself. The next hour had dissolved into smiles and stolen kisses. But once she'd checked her phone, it felt as though someone had started playing Hungry Hippos in her stomach. Something must be wrong, she told herself.

Slamming her phone shut on the network woman's voice declaring that her mother's phone was 'currently unavailable', she rounded the corner that led to their apartment and realized that her assumptions had been right. She thought she was prepared for it. She thought she _knew_ that there was something wrong. But no. The feelings she got when she stared at the flashing lights of the police cars was proof enough that she hadn't really_ known_. Her entire body went cold, her hair standing on end. Her stomach dropped and she started to convulse in panicky shivers. What was going on?

After a moment of standing still, taking in the scene in front of her, the cars and armed police officers, she ran forward, pushing through them, tearing through the flashy yellow tapes and ran up the stairs, two at a time.

Pushing through people became more difficult when she reached the top of the stairs. She didn't look at the people that were restraining her. She just shook them off roughly and proceeded towards the door. There she had to stop. She stood behind the tape that covered the door and stared uncomprehendingly at the state her home was in. Everything was either ripped, broken or littering the floor. Feathers from the sofa cushions layered over the floor that was dotted with paintings, shoes and other objects that had been standing on the now either broken or upturned tables and cupboards. But that was not what made Clary scream. She already knew something had happened to her mother. As much as it crushed her, she knew her mother was in danger. What made Clary scream was the disgusting creature that lied on the floor in the middle of the room. It was disgusting and smelly and looked like nothing Clary had ever seen. Its disfigured green body turned to look at her and she saw its many layers of yellow sharp teeth, in between which shone acidic yellow saliva, and snarled at her. She felt a hand on her shoulders tugging her back, just as she saw a forensic walk right by it. Didn't he see the creature? She was whimpering as she was led – or rather carried as she wasn't able to make her legs move. Finally she was out in the open air which felt good on her feverish skin. What was going on? Her mother was gone, taken by force by the looks of it. There were creepy disfigured monsters in her home that other people weren't able to see! Was this some sort of dream? A very, very bad dream?

She was distracted then by the discomfort in her back. She could feel it, an odd pain as though she was standing against something sharp. She felt it then in her shoulders, she squirmed and the hard sharp objects contracted to squeeze her shoulders painfully. She looked around and it took all of her concentration to see through the tears in her eyes and see the police officer holding her, or, she realized, the thing wearing police officer clothes that was holding her. She screamed again as the disgusting figure with dead gray skin and yellow cat-like eyes stared down at her. He didn't seem to have real flesh; it was too thin and hanging off his face. Its skin was more like a thin sheet of paper covering its head, which was completely bald and the fingers that were holding her shoulders felt like skeletal hands. She screamed again, trying to squirm from the creature's grasp and failing miserably, she whimpered and stared around desperately. The sight she saw next was beyond screaming. She saw the police officers, some climbing out of the cars, some walking around, to and from the front doors, and some talking loudly into their walkie-talkies, but only about half of them were _human_. Others were like the ones that clutched her now, although some had horns and some had a lot of hair. Some were green others were oozing yellow. All had ugly pustiles and angry red rashes covering their unhealthy skin. All of them were monsters.

Screaming madly and squirming, she broke free of the monster's hands and ran through the crowd. She ran and ran until she was almost out of the clearing in front of her building where the officers were gathered when she ran into someone, or something, near a dark alley.

She didn't scream as the form was not skeletal or fat. Her thoughts jumped immediately to Luke. Where was he? She thought distantly. She needed to call him.

Her hope quickly evaporated as she took in who was holding her. It was even more gruesome than any she had left behind her with huge bloodshot eyes that took up most of his ugly bone-white head. It was human form, though his face was very alien. His mouth dominating his face, not because of it's vastness but because of the sharpness of his teeth. She saw blood dropping from the two sharpest, the two on either side of the middle ones on the top. She stayed perfectly still in it's arms as it gathered her to him and stared at her, planning her escape route – she found none. The creature didn't try to kill her, strait away anyway. It looked at her for a long time while she stood there, petrified. It then leaned close to her and sniffed her neck.

"Delicious." It muttered, it's voice husky and ragged. She could hear a rattle in his throat. It grabbed her at her body, gently to begin with, then roughly. "I'm going to enjoy this, devouring you.". She couldn't move. She was stuck and petrified while the thing moved his human-like hands up her body and started to tug at her clothes.

"No, please, NO" She shouted. The thing pushed her to the floor and straddled her, punching her in her face to shut her up. It worked; she didn't know what to shout and didn't see the point. No one was coming to her rescue. The thing was atop of her, clawing at her clothes and leaving burning sore bruises where his hard fingers pressed roughly. Tears leaked down Clary's face as she tried to register what was happening. It was too overwhelming. She couldn't think, not coherently but at all. It was as though her mind had taken too many blows already and was now locking all the horror out. But she couldn't keep the panic and fear at bay, not even close and as the creature tugged at her jeans, causing the top button to fly off, she had to scream again, her throat raw and aching.

All of a sudden, the weight and he clawing hands were ripped from her as the creature was hurled off her. It was too dark in the alley for her to be able to see what was going on. All she could make out was that someone had pulled him off her and was now rolling around in a fight. The ripping and grunting noises soon turned into white noise to Clary as she dragged herself to a nearby wall and curled up in a protective ball, still feeling incredibly breakable and broken. Sobs escaped her lips and caused heaving breaths to be dragged to her lungs, she was hyperventilating. Suddenly, there were hands on her shoulders, she jerked away with a whimper. No more, she couldn't take any more. The hands immediately went away, Clary opened her eyes.

A figure was crouched in front of her, his hand which he'd just reached out to her was on the floor, far enough not to harm her, not far enough for Clary. She shifted away from it, the figure didn't follow. What game was this? Then she remembered that something had pulled the creature off her, but immediately dismissed the thought, scared of hoping.

"I'm not going to hurt you." Said the figure. She was right in thinking it was a boy. He had a soft, beautiful and persuasive voice, nothing like the creature she'd just encountered. Where was it? Had this boy killed it? Clary peeked out from under her wild red hair. The boy was looking at her. She could faintly see his face in the dim light. What she saw was nothing monotonous, quite the opposite, he was beautiful. "My name is Jace Wayland." He said softly, still not risking extending his hand again. Clary let another whimper escape her lips. This seemed to alert some urgency in the boy in front of her. "What's your name?" he asked. Clary didn't say anything, couldn't say anything. He nodded. "Will you let me help you? He asked. He didn't seem to be getting impatient, he seemed worried.

"I'm scared." Clary said so quietly that she was shocked to see him nod, having heard what she'd said. Then, everything pushed it's self to the front of her mind as though the wall protecting her from the awful happenings around her fell into a heap, muck like Clary did. She slid down the wall where she'd been in a sitting position against the wall and expected to fall on the cold floor but instead found herself being cradled in strong arms. The boy had taken a chance and was pulling her to his lap and crushing her to his chest as she sobbed loudly.

Her mother was gone, she'd been taken somewhere. Then she realized that she hadn't heard what had happened to her mother. Maybe she'd been killed! Horror crashed down on her.

"My mother." She gasped between loud sobs. The boy – Jace – rocked her lightly, muttering into her hair. "She's gone somewhere, we found no blood or body." He said, knowing what Clary must be thinking. "She may have been able to flee." He was trying to make her feel better, she realized, and was shocked to see that she was able to think a little more coherently. She pushed her mother out of her mind. It's too big, she decided. So she thought of the monsters she'd encountered tonight.

"The officers." She said in a gasp, she sat up in Jace's arms; he was looking at her shocked.

"The officers?" he asked.

"They were monsters, skeletal beasts." She said, her voice breaking twice.

"You saw them?" He asked in a stunned tone. She still couldn't see well enough through the tears and darkness to see his features properly and so guessed with his tone that his eyebrows had shot strait up. She nodded and buried her face in his shoulder. She didn't know exactly why, but she felt safe with this Jace. She wondered distantly if it was the fact that he'd rescued her, but felt deep down that it was deeper than that. She didn't really think about it though because her mind was pretty filled with stuff right now. Mainly fear, terror and monsters. Was she going mad, seeing these things?

"You can't have." Jace said. Clary didn't know what he meant and so didn't answer.

"What are they?" She asked. "What are they and why are they here? What are they doing in my home, in my apartment?" Jace pulled back, reaching for her face and pulled her chin up so that she was looking at him.

"In your apartment?" He asked.

"Yes, is it that that did something to my mother? That wrecked the place?" her voice was shaking and she could feel fresh sobs coming on. She buried her face back in his chest and he let her, stroking her hair. He was breathing hard.

"How can you-" he began.

"Jace, you down there?" Came another male voice, I stiffened in Jace's arms, he pulled her hair back and stroked my cheek.

"I'm here." He called back. I whimpered.

"Someone with you?" He asked.

"Yeah." Was all Jace said.

"Hold on." Said the other male. There was a sound of moving fabric as he seemed to fiddle with something maybe in his pocket and then Clary could see red behind her eyelids indicating that the alley was not filled with light. She opened her eyes slowly and blinked against the sudden light. She took in the people around her.


	2. Chapter 2

**R&R **Advice and critisicm welcome **R&R** Let me know if you liked it **R&R**

**Declaimer: I do not own the characters or anything to do with the Mortal Instruments.**

The new boy – whose name she didn't know – was tall and dark. He looked moody and seemed to dress to fit his mood with his black sweater, jacket, jeans and boots. She peered up at Jace and sucked in a breath. Even through all the trauma and fear she was feeling, she could appreciate his immense beauty. He had blonde hair that had a slight curl to it meaning that it curled where it fell into his eyes, looking as though it had taken professional stylists hours and hours to get it just right. His eyes were beautiful honey, deep and different to any other eyes she'd ever seen. More beautiful and intense. His nose was perfect and underneath was the most sensuous mouth Clary had ever seen. The body on which she leaned was lean yet muscular. She didn't take in more of the scene around her as she was scared of what she'd see in the dark alley and settled back into Jace's chest, muttering and sobbing and trying to concentrate on the way Jace had looked back at her with those eyes, as though he was taking in her beauty as she did his, as though he was as mesmerized as she was. Impossible, she knew, but she kept on pretending it could be true. He made this easier by rubbing her back and smoothing her hair.

"Who is she?" Asked the other boy. Jace placed the hand that was not stroking her hair on her ear and crushed her closer to his chest so that the other ear was pressed against the hard muscles above his speeding heart.

"She's the daughter of the woman that was taken." Clary could still hear what Jace was saying.

"She lived in the apartment."

"Right. Let's find out where she can stay for the night and forget all this. It wasn't' a good night Jace. Izzy's all ruffled 'cause we didn't get to kill any, too many of the officers were mundies and completely unaware." Said the boy. Clary didn't understand what they were talking about and tried to count Jace's heartbeats instead but she still heard the conversation but tried not to ponder the meaning.

"No, Alec, she can see me, I mean, properly." Said Jace, as though this was bizarre.

"Yeah, hardly surprising, you were hurrying down here to rescue her from a demon, right?" Demon, huh. "That's not new. She'll just get over it. It's not like she's been properly exposed, she'll forget by morning, guided by glamour like the rest of them. We've seen things like this happen before Jace. You remember last month at Hot Wings, that girl that agreed to go outside with the Demon, we checked on her a week later and she'd gone to believe that it was a normal drunk guy-"

"She saw the demons in front of the building and ones inside, that was before she actually made proper contact with any-"

"So she can see through glamour. She one of us?" His voice sounded closer. Clary wondered if he was peering at her, she flinched away. Jace's arms tightened.

"Back up, Alec. She's really shaken. No surprise after what she's been through." He cautioned in a stern voice. "And no, she's got no marks."

"Then must be what it always is with girls that have- Did it?" All of a sudden his voice sounded urgent.

"I don't think so." Said Jace.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"No, but…" Jace was uncomfortable.

"I'll do it." Said Alec, Clary looked up to see him advancing on them. She crushed herself to Jace.

"No, move back Alec, I'll do it." Said Jace as Clary whimpered again. Alec moved back Jace looked at Clary's face with worried eyes. Clary looked back at him, her emerald eyes wide.

Jace took a deep breath. "What's your name?" he asked softly, stroking her back reassuringly.

"Clary." Clary muttered quietly.

"Alright Clary, I need you to do something for me, it's important. Do you trust me?"

"Yes." She whispered. Jace nodded and then sat her up, pulling her into a sitting position.

"Will you sit still while I check something?" He asked. She nodded. "Ok, you can trust me, ok?" He then moved his hands from her back and pulled the bottom of her jumper up to show a little bit of skin at between the waistband of her jeans and the fabric. She squealed and squirmed. Jace caught her face in his palms. "You can trust me." He said slowly and sternly, looking into her eyes. She nodded. He moved back to her hips and examined the cuts there before examining the ripped button, checking how far down the demon had gotten. He then pulled her top back down, apparently satisfied, and pulled off his jacked and placing it around her shoulders before taking her back in his arms, tracing comforting patterns into the her arms. She could see scars on every inch of his bare arms and dark marks like tattoos rode all the way from the backs of his hands up to where it disappeared to join others she could see covering his chest under the fabric of his t-shirt. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself not to find more puzzles she wasn't likely going to find the answers to.

"She's fine." Said Jace simply, squeezing her upper arm.

"Ok, then take her to a relative, they might know what's happened to her mother already, there was a neighb-"

"I think we should take her with us."

"Jace, don't be ridiculous. She's a _mundie_. Do what we usually do, call a relative."

Jace was about to say something when Clary's phone rang. She was shaking a she tried to pull it out of her pocket. Jace did it for her gently and gave it to her.

"Simon?" her voice shook. She listened to him confirming that it was him, he sounded worried by her shaking voice

"Something's happened Simon, Can I stay at yours?" She asked

"Fight with your mom?" He asked.

"Can I just come over please?" She sounded close to losing it.

"Yeah, of cour-" She let the phone fall to the floor. Jace picked it up and put it back in her pocket.

"The monsters, they were…" Clary was shivering violently as the images didn't leave her.

"Let's go, We'll take you to Simon's" Said Alec softly, Clary looked up at him, he was smiling kindly.

"I still think-"

"Jace, leave it. We should just follow normal procedure." Said Alec. Jace hesitated then seemed to give in.

"I suppose you're right." He pulled Clary to her feet where she almost stood by herself. Jace looked at her one more moment before gathering her in his arms and carrying her bridal-style to the mouth of the alley where the light of the city glowed on the outside of Clary's eyelids. She rested her head against his shoulder. He murmured soothing words into her hair before saying to Alec "Where's Isabelle?"

"She went to find us a ride." Said Alec, "There she is."

They were walking then, Clary opened her eyes to see they were approaching a big black BMW.

"This is Romeo, Romeo these are my brothers Alec and Jace. And that's…" Said a girl with long black hair and a tall, perfect figure. She was looking at me with a questioning look.

"Clary. We need to go to-"

"Quent road." Clary mumbled.

"What she said" Said Jace, placing her down carefully in the backseat after Alec had opened the door for them. He went around the other side before climbing in to sit next to her. She was still shivering and the awful images were still filling her mind. She could almost feel the demon-thing's breath and groping hands on her body. She heard the black haired girl mutter "And then we'll be free to go to wherever we like." to Romeo and then they were off.

Clary whimpered all the way to Simon's house. By the time we got there Jace realized that she was asleep, crying quietly against his shoulder. He stroked her cheek softly before gathering her his my arms.

Jace didn't know what it was about the girl, but from the time he saw her beautiful green eyes seeking his between the strands of beautiful red hair, he couldn't stop thinking about her. He couldn't think rationally, all he could think of was that he didn't want to let this girl out of his sight. Forget the normal procedure, he thought. He wanted to take her fragile little body in his arms and tuck her in himself, tending to her himself, making sure she was ok himself. He could do it right. It was his duty, he thought.

But why did he feel it was his duty? Male Demons tended to go for pretty girls, having their fun with them, feeding off of their energy so Jace had been in these kinds of situation before, yet, not exactly this situation. But this petite girl – Clary – had something about her. She saw through the glamour. This struck Jace as very odd. After the attack, yes, she would be able to see them, yet she'd forget in the morning like all mundane. But she'd been able to see before, she'd seen the police officers, she could _see._

Yet she was shocked by it all, leading Jace to assume that this was her first time seeing the world as it really was. What was with this girl. He was now on the street, looking for the right house. He needed Clary to wake up so that she could direct him in the right way, but he didn't dare try, she needed her sleep to get over it, to have enough energy to face tomorrow. Even if her sight will be gone, she still had to face the fact that her mother had been taken. Jace hurried across the street, wondering how he'd find the right house. His boots were making a lot of noise but he didn't care, he was concentrating on not jostling Clary.

"Clary!" came a voce from Jace's side. He turned around to see a mundie with dark wavy hair and glasses peering in his direction in the darkness. Jace remembered that he was using glamour so knelt down to place Clary carefully on the floor. He stepped back carefully just in time for the mundie to reach them and stare at Clary in horror where she slept soundly on the floor. Jace bit back a growl as the boy leaned down to check her over, his hand lingering on her neck before gathering her up in his own arms and walking off in the direction of his house. Why should Jace care? This boy was entitled to touch Clary like that, wasn't he? Then why did it feel wrong for Jace to have to watch? These unfamiliar feelings coursing through him made him uneasy so he pushed them to the back of his mind and turned his back on Clary and Simon, walking slowly back to the car.


	3. Chapter 3

**R&R **Advice and critisicm welcome **R&R** Let me know if you liked it **R&R **_ (Really hope you like it!)_**  
**

**Declaimer: I do not own the characters or anything to do with the Mortal Instruments.**

Clary woke to the faint smell of coffee. She opened her eyes to find herself in the room she'd spent half her childhood, the room she'd slept in almost as much as her own, the room she'd played Lego and watched her first horror movie. But, as memories of the following night flooded her mind, even the room and the person it represented, failed to comfort her.

She thought over what had happened, the police, the monsters, her mother and the demon that had attacked her. But the image that dominated her mind was the golden haired boy – Jace.

She felt she could think properly now. Last night, she'd been in shock. Now, she knew what she'd seen. She pondered everything she'd seen last night. Her mother had gone missing. That was true. She pushed that to the back of her mind, it was too big to think about, especially since she didn't know the next step to finding her yet. The monsters were real. They had grabbed her. The world as she knew it was about to change. For good.

But hadn't the Alec boy say that she'd forget by morning? She definitely hadn't been granted that luxury, she thought bitterly as the skeletal hands and sharp teeth flooded her mind once more. But Jace had behaved as though she was different. Was she different, as Jace believed?

Jace. He'd been beautiful. Clary had noticed last night, even through the trauma. But today, with a clearer mind, she couldn't believe he'd been so beautiful. It must be her over-active imagination, she thought. She relished in the feel of his arms around her and her breath in her hair before shaking herself and pushing herself towards the door, pausing to look at herself in the mirror as she went. She sucked in a breath, she had a split lip that was oozing dry blood and there was a deep gash on her cheekbone. She looked down, tugging clothes out of the way to examine the rest of her body and looked away quickly, pulling her top and sleeves back. It wasn't the scratches on her arms hips; it wasn't the bloody rip in her jeans but the missing button in her jeans. She grabbed Jace' coat she still wore and closed it around her, feeling better with it closer to her.

She stepped out of Simon's room into the kitchen where she interrupted a conversation between Simon and his mother who were huddled together, leaning in and whispering in hushed tones over two steaming cups of coffee at the table. They looked up when they heard Clary shuffle in and put on poker faces.

"How are you feeling my dear?" asked Ms Lewis, standing up and enveloping Clary in a warm hug. Clary had known Ms Lewis for years and years and therefore the hug was surprisingly reassuring. Simon came to stand behind his mother so he was ready when she was released. He took her arm and led her to the table where he sat her sown and pushed his coffee towards her. Clary took it gratefully.

"What happened last night Clary?" he asked soothingly though Clary could easily see the worry and the urgency in both his eyes and his voice.

Clary took a deep breath before speaking. It was then she realized that she was still numb, in shock. Should she tell the truth? These were the closest person to her now, except for Luke of course. Her mother was gone, and the last time she'd seen the blonde stranger was in the car last night. He'd left her too.

"My mother's been taken." She said simply. Neither Ms Lewis nor Simon were shocked by this. They must have made some calls last night, decided Clary. She decided to carry on. "By monsters." She said.

There it is. The shock was clear on both audiences' faces. She stared at her before sharing a look and then continued to stare at her, worry lining both their foreheads.

"Then," Clary continued, flinching internally as both their eyebrows shot up as they wondered what else she'd say. "The monsters took me and attacked me. I was rescued by this guy who brought me here." She finished. Ms Lewis sat down and Simon stared at Clary with a pitying look on his face. They didn't believe her, she realized. Oh God.

"Clary-" he began but she cut him off.

"Look at my face Simon. Look at my arms and waist. I didn't make those scratches my self did I?" She challenged, her voice getting higher by the strain of getting these people to understand.

"We-" Simon started again, but Clary detected worry and pity in his eyes which meant disbelief so cut him off again.

"It's true!" she wailed.

"Will you listen to me?" Simon asked sharply, tension lining his shoulders and pinching his face. Clary shut up. "You've been through a lot last night. You don't know where your mother is, you were attacked by a guy in the street and we don't blame you for being traumatized, but you need to get yourself together for your own good. The police will need the true story." He said. Clary pushed herself away from the table, standing up.

"This is the true story. Simon, the thing that attacked me, it wasn't human."

"Clary, This is normal, ok. The person that attacked you-"

"Jace saw him too. He saw them all too." She said angrily.

"Jace?" Simon asked wryly as his mother dropped her head into her hands and whimpered.

"Yes, Jace. He saved me, he helped me, he brought me here and he gave me this coat." She yelled.

They were all silent. No one said a word for a long minute as Clary stood there, panting heavily as aftermath of the outburst. Then Simon stood up slowly and came to join her, placing a warm hand on her shoulder.

"Clay, you were alone when you came home last night." He said slowly in a hard voice. "You were alone," he repeated as Clary opened her mouth to argue. "And you were wearing your jumper, with no coat, very much as you're dressed now."

Clary looked down. She wore a black coat over her jumper. What the hell was going on? "Simon, this black coat, she tugged at it, "Is Jace's." Simon's face went blank as he stared at her.

"I think you should get some more sleep Clary. I'll wake you in a little while ok?" he said with a note of finality. He thought she was crazy; she realized and with this realization came tears. They flowed down her cheeks as she stared into her best friend's face that held too much pity for her liking. She looked at Ms Lewis quickly before she turned away. She looked miserable with her wide flooded eyes. A tear leaked down her face in unison with Clary. She turned and walked back to Simon's room, glancing back once to see that Simon had sat down next to his mother who was massaging his shoulder comfortingly as he shook his head, looking down onto the table top, a shadow covering his face. Then Clary was in the room, alone, as she'd been in the kitchen.


	4. Chapter 4

_Short, I know. But it's a necessary filler to progress the plot, which will be picked up in the next chapter that will qualify much more as a chapter!_

_Hope you like it and as always R&R._

**Declaimer: I do not own any of these character and, sadly, nothing to do with The SUPERB Mortal Instruments Series. That's all Cassandra claire!**_

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_Jace didn't wake up that morning because that would imply that he'd gotten to sleep last night while in fact he'd laid on his bed for hours, thinking over the night he'd just experienced and the conversation with Alec that followed it.

"We should have brought her here Alec." Jace said as the elevator clattered down and they piled into it. They stood facing the mirror in the doors as the elevator rode up and reached the top. Alec didn't say anything but he could see his expression in the mirror. He was staring forward but apparently not seeing his reflection, deep in thought.

Suddenly his expression smoothed over. "I didn't think you'd sink so low as to use pretence to get a girl into bed Jace. Do my ears deceive me?" he asked with a grin. Jace smiled.

"My mere looks is enough to get a girl into bed. That's it with me, my looks make girls fall at my feet and into my bed and then I open my mouth and the beautiful voice forming witty and interesting dialogue make them fall in love." He winked at himself in the mirror for Alec's benefit and smoothed his hair with one hand. "It's a curse really." Alec scoffed as they stepped out into the corridor. He turned to face Jace.

"Drop the girl ok, Jace. I don't know what you've gotten into your mind but you can't let it affect your duties. Drop it and shape up. I'll check on her for you but if you check on her any time soon, I'll know. Hodge won't be pleased." He said and walked off. Jace scowled after him and walked with his shoulders hunched towards his room.

He hated Alec for thinking he was superior, had authority over him because he was older. He, Jace, was the better shadow hunter, he had killed the most demons, not only out of him and Alec but out of him and the rest of the shadow hunters his age. Alec hadn't even killed one!

As he made his way to his room a thought entered his head. Was he angry at Alec because he'd patronizingly told him what to do, or because what he'd said made sense?

Get the girl out of your head Jace, he told himself. But as his head hit the pillows, he knew it was going to be a long night of doing exactly the opposite.

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_Will Jace listen? The next chapter will be up sooooon :D_

_Thanks to everyone who's added this to your favourite and/or alert subscription and reviewd! x_


	5. Chapter 5

_Thank you all for your supportive reviews. I really appreciate them as they're dubly special for me since English is my second language. _

_Hmm…rather short again. Sorry 'bout that. Hope you enjoy it and LET ME KNOW!_

**Decalimer - I don't own anything to do with The Mortal Instruments series.**_  
_

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"Clary?" Clary didn't know how long she'd been in Simon's bedroom. All she knew is that now, she wanted to move. Her legs ached from being curled up to her chin for however long she'd been there, curled up in a protective ball on the bed, smelling in the once-comforting smell that was Simon, though now it reminded her of the look on his face and the disbelief in his words.

She felt more alone than she'd ever been and welcomed unconsciousness as it came and went as, in sleep, she was able to be in Jace's arms feel the patterns he traced on her back as he held her.

Simon was calling her name through the door. He was checking on her, again. As before, she ignored him. If he wasn't ready to admit she was sane, then he could wait on the other side of the door.

She flopped onto her back, thinking of how lonely she must be to be thinking endlessly of a stranger for comfort, having to dream and imagine having comforting, strong arms around her, instead of having the real thing. She let out a long, ragged breath. She knew Simon was listening and she was certain the next second.

"Clary," he said. She'd known him for so long, she knew from that single word that he still thought she was in a state of shock. She'd had enough. She breathed heavily again, trying to sound sleepy and gently slipped off the bed, landing soundlessly on her tip toes on the floor.

She heard Simon retreat into the kitchen where she supposed his mother would be comforting him, saying that she'll "come around". Clary got to the window carefully, manoeuvre through the room as though there were booby traps everywhere as she avoided the shoes and consoles that dotted the floor.

Easing the window open slowly, she jumped through it, leaving it open behind her. If Simon wanted to do what was "best for her" then he could do it with a cold bedroom.

The walk to the subway station went by in a blur as Clary tried to control her thoughts, averting them from her mother, of Simon, of anything to do with last night, including Jace because with Jace came a load of stuff she'd heard that basically only gave her a headache. She didn't understand any of it. She was supposed to be "different"?. She was average. As average as could be. The only thing that wasn't average about her was her height, which was below average, she was sure.

She could ignore these thoughts once at the subway – thank god – as she needed to pay attention. But she soon found that she didn't want to.

There, right there, slithering from underneath the carriage into which the public was pouring in and out, were the unmistakeable tentacles of a monster. It had about thirty legs – that she could see – and they were clutching to the front of the carriage, extending it's tentacles every now and then, unsticking them to the object. As they parted with the metal they left gung stuck between it and the carriage. Clary gagged. It was all coming back to her again. The thing, whatever it was, was retreating underneath the rails now, disappearing into the darkness of the tunnel. Clary turned sharply and found herself with her face almost touching a man's chest. She looked up slowly and took in what was in front of her. The bright yellow eyes, the sharp teeth, the spiky glitter filled hair and the colour. The colour was everywhere, helping the

dizziness overcome her. Then, she finally let go, and screamed before she fell and saw no more.

* * *

Wheheeey! One of my favourite characters is on the scene! There shouldn't be such a gap for the next chapter next time btw :D


	6. Chapter 6

_Right. I don't think that this is my best work so i may re-write this chapter but the initial idea will be the same and probably the happenings and most of the dialogue, we'll see. Anyway, hope you likw it...let me now and enjoy! R&R&R&R&R&R&R_

**Declaimer: Don't own anything :(**

"Sangriva" Jace screamed as he charged forward, holding the seraph blade in front of him at the ready. The demon reacted by baring its teeth menacingly. Arrogant demon, Jace thought as he advanced. Yet, being the size that it was, who could blame it? Jace, ignoring it's vastness, slashed at it.

One. Jace counted as though he were playing golf and counting how many strokes of the ball it took to go in. Speaking of balls…Two, Jace decided it had to count.

"Three!" he shouted as the beast's blood seeped out of the slash in it's neck. The stupid thing didn't seem to realize that it's life here was quickly dripping away onto the nest's floor. It fell like a sack of sbuds – granted, a rather big sack of sbuds – into the puddle of blood so different from humans'.

The demon was disappearing and Jace was wiping the blade on his trousers when Isabelle appeared at the makeshift doorway, her hair falling around her and the whip carefully wound around her wrist, still dripping blood.

"Nice." She said, jerking her chin toward the spot where the demon had been. Jace walked past her, heading for the light of the ascending slope back to the real world. It was only midday, lunchtime, Jace thought and headed for the subway. Isabelle caught up with him easily.

"Did you expect any less?" Jace asked her. She snorted at his arrogance as an answer.

"Why didn't Alec come?" Isabelle asked.

"He went to check on Clary." Jace said in an overly neutral voice.

"Who?" Isabelle asked. Jace groaned. C'mon Isabelle, he thought, you're not exactly helping me drop it. But of course, she didn't know.

"That girl we saved a few nights ago, you know, the redhead that was attacked."

"Right, the one whose mother was taken?"

"Yeah."

"Do we have any motive?" Isabelle asked. "Coincidence or…"

"I don't know Isabelle" Jace said harshly. Isabelle closed her mouth with an audible snap of anger, though Jace doubted it would stay closed. But when Isabelle spoke again, she took him by surprise. "What is it Jace?" She asked tenderly.

Jace stopped. They were almost at the subway now and there were a lot of people about them, rushing in the direction they had been going to catch their ride.

"What makes you think there's anything the matter?" He asked. Isabelle raised her eyebrows. Stupid girls and their feelings shit. "I'm not gonna have a meaningful deep chat with you about my inner self Izzy." He said mockingly, earning a scowl. "Just accept that this tough outer shell is hiding nothing. Think of me as hollow. Jace Hollow Wayland who doesn't want to be filled, get it?" He turned and started to walk toward the subway again. This wasn't the first time Izzy had tried to open him up. She thought he was broken, dead inside, only able to love her and her family to a certain extent, but she hoped, and sometime believed, that Jace was simply complex and needed guidance and this was one of those moments which is why she wasn't likely to drop it.

"I didn't see you yesterday."

"You were with that guy, how was he by the way? Jace asked.

"Nuh,-uh, no changing the subject, I saw you with that girl."

"Right, you want me to have a girlfriend now?"

"No, but not no. I don't know. You seemed to care for her. No offence, but you're not nice a lot of the time."

"She was hurt and in shock," Jace said.

"Ok, fair enough. What about this I hear about you wanting to take her back with us? You thinking she was different?"

Jace kicked a pebble that was in the middle of the pavement. "Nothing. I got carried away; thought there was something strange in what she saw. There's probably an explanation, I shouldn't have suggested that she come back with us. It wasn't very shadowhunterlike." He said.

There was a lot more to it, but he wasn't going to share. The truth was, as he discovered yesterday as he trained all day long, was that he thought he'd felt something for the girl when he saved her. An urge to protect her, he thought. He'd come to the conclusion that she was a boring mundane who was attacked. He'd forget about her and not be distracted any more.

They reached the subway and Jace was ready to get the hell out of Brooklyn.

"Takis?" Isabelle asked and Jace nodded. As the doors opened he looked about him, thinking he smelt demon under the fumes and almost shouted as he saw a glimpse of shocking red hair. He looked closer but she was suddenly out of sight, hidden behind a tall guy in colour – major colour, rainbow pants, glitter, the lot. Jace blinked and they were gone.

"Jace? C'mon. What's over there?" Isabelle came off the carriage and stood next to him, peering at where Jace was still staring.

"Nothing, I'm imagining things now. C'mon." he took her upper arm and dragged her with him into the carriage and they were off, Isabelle confused, Jace shocked that he was actually disappointed that he'd only imagined seeing Clary.

* * *

Alec strut into Takis. It wasn't that he was particularly miserable; it was just how he was. He walked over to the table where Jace was sitting, leaning back with his arm resting on the back of his booth's chair. He was smiling at whatever Isabelle was saying and Alec had to be careful not to stare at his chest as it heaved with his laughter.

"Hey." He said as he slumped down next to Isabelle.

"You check on the girl?" She asked.

"Yeah, she'd left." I said simply.

Jace dropped his arm and the expression, replacing it with an eager look and his position mirrored his face as he leaned forward. "Left? What do you mean she'd left?"

"I mean she wasn't where we'd left her."

"Right, where was she?"

"My guess is she's gone to stay with relatives since her Mum was taken." Alec said, wishing Jace would act less concerned.

"Did the boy go with her?" Jace asked.

"No one was at the house, it was dark." Alec said, his voice implying that the story ended there. Jace didn't seem satisfied with this.

"Then how are we to know if she remembers?" Jace was impatient now.

"She'll think she imagined it. One mundane is not very high on our priorities list now is it? Drop it." Alec said.

Jace didn't say anything. Normally he would have, but he was deep in thought.

"Both of you drop it with this serious-talk. Here, something that will make us all feel better." Said Isabelle, plunging her hand into her purse and coming out with a bright peace of paper. "An invitation." She said. "Warlocks' parties are always fun."

* * *

Magnus' party...Should be interesting :D x


	7. Chapter 7

_I'm very nervous for this chapter. I really hope it hasn't been a let down or anything because I havent had much time to write recently and I've had to write this on and off. Anyway, enough excuses._

_Sorry it's taken so long but please Review! love reviews! Hope you like it._

**Declaimer: I don't own anything to do with the Mortal Instruments series, Sadly. x**

* * *

Pictures swarmed together, making no sense whatsoever. There was a train running through the underground with an octopus tugging at the end while sharp teeth in a pale face shone from the sky. Large yellow orbs took the place of the sun and looked down at her as though they could see her. The only noise was the ringing Clary was sure was in her own ears. The train disappeared and Clary jerked into consciousness once more. She didn't move a limb. Her eyes darted frantically around as she tried to take in her surroundings. She was lying on a fluffy pink sofa in a brightly painted room. All the furniture looked brand new or otherwise artfully worn but you couldn't say that any object in the room lacked character.

Speaking of characters, as Clary fully awoke she became aware that there was someone else in the room with her, sitting on a green chaise longue opposite the sofa. He looked like a cartoon character with his wide cats eyes and sonic the hedgehog turned fairy hairstyle.

Where the hell was she. As Clary registered her company she automatically squirmed into the far corner of the couch, pulling her legs up to her chin and wrapping her arms around her knees.

The guy didn't move. He remained sat on the green bed thing with his long fingers laced together and his thin ankles crossed. Clary distantly noticed that she could see his flat tanned stomach between the bottom of his top and the top of his rainbow pants and although being faintly distracted by the smear of glitter that had been massaged into his skin, she noted that he didn't have a navel or if he did, it was oddly high. She decided she'd put her money on that he didn't in fact have one as he was obviously not fully human. Clary gulped.

"Clary?" the guy said quite softly as though he feared he'd frighten her. He was right in doing this.

"How do you know my name?" Clary asked in a small voice.

"Where is your mother Clary?" He asked.

"How do you know me? Do you know my mother too? Would you know why someone would have taken her?" Clary asked, immediately hopeful.

"She's been taken?" The guy mused. "By…" he prompted Clary to elaborate.

Clary in no way trusted this bizarre creature but at this point, she almost didn't care. After all, what harm could revealing these facts cause?

"Monsters." Clary said.

The guy bowed his head for a moment before lifting his gaze back to Clary.

"You've been seeing them." He said. It wasn't a question.

Who the hell was this guy? He seemed to know Clary and possibly her mother and he knew that as of recently Clary had been seeing things she shouldn't have. Who the hell?

"You were two weeks late for your appointment. It seemed your mother has had a lot on her plate recently."

Clary disregarded this. What was he talking about anyway? All Clary wanted to know at this point was:

"Who are you?"

"You won't remember me, I'm Magnus Bane, and I've helped your mother out a few times." He said. Clary waited for him to add to his sentence and had to prompt him to elaborate.

"And what do you mean by "appointment"? I'm sure I've never seen you before!"

"My mouth, on this subject at least, must remain closed." He said with a grim expression. "Even if I do disagree with the situation you've been forced into."

Clary thought she were about to burst. She jumped to her feet on the glittery rug. "Do you think my mum would care now? Do you think that this would be her prime concern? Keeping me in the dark like this…when maybe any logic you can give me may help her…Why would you want to shut your mouth?" Her voice rose with every word until she was almost shouting. This Magnus didn't flinch or squirm back and his expression didn't pucker. He merely stared up at her.

There was a long moment of silence.

Then…

"You aren't like other mundanes." He paused giving her time to interrupt like he thought she would. Her lips remained locked. "You are a shadowhunter, like your mother. She hoped you weren't one, but when she saw you talking to a fairy, that was when she came here, to me, so that I can erase these things from your mind, like I did for a long time after that in your appointments. "

"What are shadowhunters?" Clary asked, sitting down heavily on the couch.

"They're demon hunters. That's why you see them, so you can destroy them."

"Is that what I've been seeing? Are demons the things that took my mother?"

"Yes."

"Tell me more. Tell me everything." She said, breathlessly.

And he did.

Clary thought her head might burst. Fairies, Warlocks, demons. Everything was real. Everything.

But the oddest thing for Clary was how easy it was to accept all this. It was easy to believe that there were such things living in the same state as her, living under the undergrounds and in their little nests. It made sense, leading her to believe that she truly was what Magnus called a "Shadowhunter."

Although all this, she was a little shocked and though she thought she was level headed, she couldn't stop shivering. She bent her head down to stare at her knees.

"You need some sleep."

"I can't sleep now!" Clary said, trying not to sound angry.

"Come with me." Magnus said. He didn't make such and effort. He didn't sound angry but he sounded exasperated. He led her up the stairs and into a large room with – you guessed it – a lot of colour.

"There are some clothes in the cupboards, borrow what you like. You can have the bed – for tonight – and I'm gonna be having some friends over so you should stay up here."

"Friends?"

"I'm having a party. Here." He sat her down on the bed and opened his hand in front of him. With a slight pop noise and some blue sparks, a wand-like object appeared in his hand. "Figured this is safe." He laughed to himself while Clary stared at him, incomprehension lining her face. "Let me see." Magnus said with a concentrated expression as though he was trying to remember something then "Aha, yes." He slid the tip of the object along her forearm, tracing a burning pattern. Clary gasped but before she could do much else, Magnus withdrew the thing to reveal a tattoo-like rune on her arm. "Sleep tight." He giggled. Clary was shocked to find exhaustion clapping down on her. She had just enough time to slide out of her clothes, pull on an oversized vest top that reached her thighs and fall on the bed before sleep took her.

Isabelle was taking a long time. Jace didn't care as much as he did normally. He stood in his room, staring at his reflection in the mirror. He knew he was handsome and he knew he will have many women after him tonight. But that is exactly what made him uneasy. This idea, for a change, didn't make him excited in the slightest. He heaved a great sigh and went down the hall to the elevator where Alec was standing. As always, Jace ignored any inclination that Alec liked what he saw and so, now, when Alec's eyes opened just the right fraction to show his attraction, Jace pretended to look behind him to check if Isabelle was coming.

"What could take so long?" He asked Alec who had caught himself and the frown was back on his face.

"I seriously don't know." He said. There was not much more they could say on the subject. They'd had enough conversations on the many evenings they'd been waiting by this very elevator for Isabelle to be ready.

A few minutes of light conversation and hair-checking later, Isabelle was beside them in a very tight dress and very, very high black heels. Her black hair was up in an elegant twist which contrasted with the rest of her not-so-elegant attire in a good way. Jace looked her up and down and failed to see much of an attraction, though this was the norm with his sister.

"C'mon then." She said as she led the way into the elevator. Alec and Jace didn't even bother to protest.

-"Done." Said Jace, stashing the now empty bottle of Holy water back in his Jacket pocket. Alec laughed, Isabelle looked the other way but Jace knew she was laughing. They made their way into the house where a lot were dancing and talking and everyone was drinking something. Vamps were gulping down their vodka and blood, warlocks were passing around their bubbling blue drinks and faeries had their own little colourless substances. Jace just loved this type of places. Not that he had much love for the half demons and half humans, but he loves seeing the variation. There were increasingly beautiful and unbearably ugly. There was the unbelievably tall and the comically short. Jace strode in before the other two, looking around him, only to be stopped before reaching the bar in the corner by a tall gay monkey.

"And you are…Shadowhunter?"

"Jace Wayland. And you are?"

"Magnus Bane." He said. By this time Isabelle and Alec had joined us.

"Hmmm, living in the institute are you?" he asked. Jace was about to answer with a snarky comment when Isabelle saw the danger and stepped in front of him, earning a scowl.

"Yes, in fact, we are. Do you know anyone from there?" She asked with a sweet voice.

"I know of you, but not personally. Nice to make you're acquaintance…"

"Isabelle and this is my brother Alec and, you've met Jace."

"That I have." He said, obviously not impressed, something that changed when he saw Alec standing behind Jace.

"Well Hello there." He said, moving forward. He didn't need to move Jace out of the way, he was already on his way to the bar.

"Whiskey, on the rocks with a twist." He said.

"Hmmm do you like everyth8ing with a twist?" Came a voice behind him.

"Depends." He said, without turning around.

"Well, do you like women…with an extra edge?"

"Not very clear is it. What are we talking about?" He turned around and it became obvious what she meant. She had an extra breast. He didn't know if he was impressed or disgusted and was still trying to figure it out as he was dragged up the stairs. It wasn't that he was weak, but he wasn't unwilling, enough. She was quite strong and completely fine everywhere but the chest aria, which Jace was still in two minds about.

"I saw you and just had to have you. So…shadowhunter. Want to hunt me down? She jerked into a room at the top of the landing and Jace walked slowly after her.

"Whoops, seems we'll have to find somewhere else. I see this bed is taken."

Jace didn't move. He was barely able to breathe as he stared down at the bed where she lay.


	8. Chapter 8

_Right, this is more or less just Jace trying to understand what's going on, his musings and questions. Hope you'll enjoy it :D Let me know! R&R_

**Declaimer: I don't own anything to do with the Mortal instruments series!**

"C'mon, let's find an empty room." The three-breasted girl said, tugging at his shirt. Jace didn't make an attempt to be polite. He was staring down at the bed where Clary lay, curled up in her little panties and huge vest top. Her knees were up against her chest and her arms were wrapped around her shins. She looked so peaceful and so deeply asleep. Her eyelids flickered a few times in result to whatever dream she was having and her petal pink lips had slight smile to them. She was beautiful.

On first look, that was what Jace saw and it took a few seconds through which the three-breasted girl protested and tried to pull him with her again. But by the time she left him alone, Jace had noticed something else about Clary. Her arm had a dark mark on it, the unmistakeable mark of a rune that he knew as the rune of peace, meant to give peace to the wearer, to give to them whatever they needed which, in Clary's case, was sleep.

There were two main things surging through Jace's head, battling together as Jace thought which one was the most important right now. He decided that the reason Clary was here, at this warlock's house, asleep in his bed while she was supposed to be at that Simon's house was the most pressing question.

Jace sat slowly and carefully down on the bed next to her. She didn't stir.

How had she ended up here? Out of everywhere? Was she still able to see the "spiritual" side of the world? Did she know what Magnus was?

As none of these questions could be answered without waking her, he concentrated on the other burning question. How could she have a rune on her? The obvious was that she had shadowhunter blood, as she wasn't a forsaken, in the slightest. Her skin was rosy, her lips bright pink, her lustrous hair was just that and her behaviour – even in sleep – was that of a peaceful girl.

So she had shadowhunter blood. That answered some questions, and raised more.

How did she not know of this world – as she so obviously hadn't at the time they'd met, if she were a shadowhunter. All Jace could figure was that she'd either been brought up in ignorance because of a lie or because her mother hadn't know her father was one.

But why then, would she be so shocked to see demons the other day when they'd surrounded her house and attacked her? How hadn't she gotten used to them by now?

When Jace had first moved to New York after his father had died, he'd found it funny that people could walk around in utter ignorance, not seeing things that were so obvious to him. He'd gotten used to seeing demons and so had Isabelle and Alec and they'd grown up here, where Clary had. So why was she so scared. Even if she didn't know what they were then at the least she'd be used to seeing them or in a crazy house for seeing stuff that "weren't there" as the mundane would say, at which point the institute would have been alerted and would have come to get her…and she would have been trained…with him.

The idea of fate wouldn't exit Jace's mind until he pushed it out. He stared down at the peaceful Clary, lying there, so peaceful.

"Jace!" came a shout from the first floor where the party was still going and the music was still blaring. Through the noise of the party, Alec was searching for him. With a very exasperated sigh, Jace pulled himself to his feet and backed out of the room, staring at Clary all the while. He went to the landing and shouted to Alec "Up here." And retreated back to the room.

He sat back down on the bed and was staring down at Clary when Alec burst into the room. He looked at Clary, then at Jace, then a Clary again.

"Dude, that's the girl from the other night." He said.

"Oh." Said Jace. "Is she? Wow,"

"No need, Jace. What we need is…Holy sh**! She's marked. Did you?"

"Yes Alec, I marked her to test if she's human even though the only evidence I have against her being human is that she saw Demons minutes before they attacked her. Yes, I did."

"But Jace-"

"Cool it Alec, of course I didn't. Can't you see when I'm being sarcastic? It's not exactly subtle!"

"Yeah, well you're laying it on thick tonight, I guessed you'd be serious any minute now."

And he was. They discussed ideas and came up with…nothing. It was about the same time as Alec said "But she's marked," for the seventh time that the door swung open to reveal a tall figure in the doorway.

"Well, Well. What do we have here?" he asked and smiled widely, revealing all his sharp teeth. Alec and Jace exchanged glances. Here goes…


	9. Chapter 9

_Oh so short...Sorry. I've been so mega busy. But i think it's time for something exciting to happen, do you? Right, I'll work on that. Meanwhile please let me know how you're enjoying it so far and if there's something you want to happen, let me know because I'm open for ideas. **R&R **and I hope you keep enjoying it :D xxx_

**DECLAIMER: I don't own anything :(**

"Magnus." Jace said, managing to use his scoffing, patronizing tone even though he was undergoing some truly unfamiliar butterflies in his stomach as he stared down at the half naked girl on the bed.

"Ah, shadowhunters. Nosy ones you are, aren't to. The bloody lot of you. Now what are you doing in this room? Looking for a place to be alone were you?" he asked raising an eyebrow at Alec and Jace. Jae wasn't fazed. He knew the warlock was trying to mock him. Won't work, he decided and looked Magnus right in his cat-like eyes.

"What is this girl doing in your bed?" Jace asked in a hard voice.

"You don't expect a man to tell do you?" he asked seductively, raising the eyebrows again.

Jace almost lunged at him, but kept himself still, locking his hands in shaking fists at his sides.

"This girl happens to be under a Clave investigation and so, it is of the Clave's business to know what she is doing in your bed." He said, trying to keep the shaking out of his voice, something his anger wouldn't let.

"She appears to be sleeping." Said Magnus, peering at her, pretending to check, before nodding to himself and rocking back on the heels of his bare, glittered, feet.

"Listen, Warlock-"

"Calm down, for God's sake. Just teasing." Said Magnus, eyeing the blade Jace had begun to unsheathe.

"What is she doing here?" Alec asked, seeming to realize that Jace was a little angry with the Warlock.

"Why don't you ask her yourself?" Magnus asked before clicking his fingers.

Immediately, Clary shot up to a sitting position on the bed. Her long hair was everywhere and her emerald eyes wide open in shock as she clutched her neck with a freckled hand, her chest raising and falling heavily. Then she looked up.

* * *

_Thank you all who've commented, added the story to your alert or favourite and of course, those of you who added me to you'r favourite author or author alert. You make me so HAPPY :D x_


	10. Chapter 10

_Chapter 10 :D I had a little fun writing this. looking forward to writing up the next chapter so it might be up sooner. REALLY hope you like it. And again...thank you all for the supportive comments etc :D R&R!_

**DECLAIMER: I don't own anything.**The last thing she'd expected was to see Jace there. He was standing there, looking down at her with a blank expression. Suddenly…she was worried.

* * *

Had she built this image of him as her "hero" in her head in her little breakdown? People were telling her she was crazy, people she trusted more than anyone. She was seeing things, she'd been attacked and her mother was missing. Isn't it normal for someone to want, no, _need_ something positive to hang on to?

But now, she understood everything. She knew what she was…she knew why she saw everything and though she was dazed and a little confused still, it was like someone had wiped the muck from her mind, as though Magnus had cleaned it with the truth.

She saw clearly, and not just because she hadn't been to her scheduled "appointment".

What she didn't think she could handle was if Jace wasn't the Jace she'd been thinking of. If he'd been so nice with her because it was his job as a shadowhunter. If he was like that with everyone…The "if's" overwhelmed her and she had to look down to avoid the beautiful golden stare.

That was when she realized that she was only wearing her panties and a huge vest top that barely covered her. Oh. Lord.

She jumped back, hitting her head on the bed's headboard and fumbling to bring the blankets over her bare, freckled legs. But she'd been sleeping on the covers and so they were jammed underneath her.

Suddenly, there was a sounds of the springs squashing as an extra weight was added to the end of the bed. Clary looked up and saw that Jace had sat down. He held a blanket in his hands and as he leaned across the bed to place it over her, he tried to catch her eyes, which she did once she was covered. They stared at each other like that, Jace half lying on the bed next to her – propped up on his elbow – and her sitting with her back against the broad headboard, rubbing her head and clutching at the quilt that covered her up to her collarbone.

"Ahem"

As soon as they heard the fake cough by the door, Jace slid back into a sitting position at the end of the bed and Clary's head jerked up.

"I was about to suggest we go find ourselves a room and make this a nice two separate sets of two, but if these two are ready…" Said Magnus, much to all three teenagers' embarrassment – most of all Alec who almost fell from shock and wouldn't look up.

"Ready?" Clary managed.

"Yes. To leave." Said Magnus happily, as though the idea couldn't please him more.

"Leave where?" Clary asked, but by the question mark on the boys' faces, they were all clueless to the Warlock's suggestion.

"Wherever they keep the ickle angel people." He said sarcastically.

Alec and Jace stiffened.

Clary shrugged.

Magnus elaborated. "The institute."

Oh. Clary had learnt about the institute last night. She was intrigued .

"No." said Alec. Said suddenly, stepping forward so he was at the end of the bed. Closer to Clary, and Jace.

No one said anything. Jace's back was to Clary so she couldn't see his face but his shoulder tensed. Magnus was looking amused.

"And why not?" he asked, looking as though he wanted to give a chuckle.

"She-no one- She's not a shadowhunter. No mundane has crossed the threshold in-"

"Oh, but she is."

Now this is when they saw _real_ reactions.

Jace stood up in a jerky motion and spun around to stare at Clary.

Alec gawked.

Magnus giggled a surprisingly high giggle.

"She's a shadowhunter?" Jace asked, still staring at Clary.

"Yes, she is. Now to me, that sounds as though she's your problem so in you don't mind…"

"Well thanks" Clary muttered, they all ignored her.

"She cant-" Alec began, but Jace cut across him.

"She didn't know, did she?" he asked. He wasn't angry or cold. But there was something in his voice that Clary didn't like. Like he peaced something together and didn't like the end result of the puzzle. He was disappointed.

Clary wanted to say something. But what could she say? "Be happy I'm like you?" Yeah, not creepy at all.

"Yes to the first. No to the second. She didn't know. Her mother kept it from her through me – blinding her with my abilities". Personally I find it all very dull." He said in a casual way, leaning against the door and waving his hand in a lazy gesture.

They all gasped for a second.

Jace didn't say anything. He simply stared at her. Then he stood up and picked something up from the floor. He placed it on the bed.

"We'll be outside." He said…then he was gone, Alec (spluttering something about "Talking to mum first") and Magnus trailing behind him.

Then she was alone.

It seemed that none of them wanted her at the institute. Save for Magnus of course, who couldn't be happier about the idea.

Jace didn't want her there.

Aaahh Fudge.

JACE'S POV

How could anyone do that to her? Why would anyone want to? Shouldn't she have a say in her own life?

Frustrated, Jace strut over to the opposite wall on the landing and pressed his back to it.

"Right, safe trip home." Said Magnus gleefully as he headed for the stairs. He turned around before he got there.

"You," he said, pointing at Alec, "are free to leave whenever you like."

Jace looked away, wanting to laugh, but Alec's beetroot face stopped him. Not that he was afraid of crossing any line, he just didn't want to go into anything, not now, with Clary in the next room. He had a few things to think about.

It didn't help that she was _changing_ in the next room. Something that he didn't have room for in his head right now.

Why did she do this to him? He was Jace, careless, free-flying Jace. Then why was she able to make him speechless when not even the most beautiful fairy hadn't been able to do that.

"She can't be a shadowhunter." Alec cut across his wondering.

"Didn't you see her arm?" he asked

"No, why?"

"You, him, that's the one." Someone called from the top of the stairs. Jace looked up and saw his three breasted something standing on the stairs pointing at him with the hand _not_ holding the empty bottle of Holy water while the five vampires came up to glare at him brom beside her. Uh oh…

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_haha. Thanks for reading :D_


	11. Chapter 11

_I'm sorry for the long wait! Havent got an excuse I'm afraid :(_

_Anyway, this isn't my best work. I'm not very good at action scenes :(_

_Still, hope you like it and please, please Review._

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Everything happened so quickly. One minute, Clary was opening the door, fully-clothed and nervous to see Jace again, next minute she was staring into Jace's horror-struck face as, behind him, the muscled man with the surprisingly sharp teeth was smiling.

"This one with you is she?" he asked in a husky voice. Clary stood frozen, as did Jace. But only for a second. He pushed her backwards into the room, but his actions weren't fast enough. Somehow the sharp-toothed man had lunged forward an impossible distance with impossible speed and tugged at her arm so that she was now being pulled to the top of the stairs to join the other scary men. She squeaked as he spun her around so her back was pressed up against his body, his large arms wrapped around her, crushing her to him.

She concentrated on Jace. He'd taken control of his expression so now all she could see was pure fury in his narrowed eyes and the angry set of his mouth.

"I'll teach you to damage things I care about" Said the man as Clary tried to squirm away from him. But he was strong. As strong as he was fast and his huge arms were keeping her still. He leaned his head down to smell her neck, burying his face in the crook of her shoulder for a second before looking up at Jace with an expression Clary couldn't see. But she did see Jace's expression. He looked green. And angry. Very, very angry.

"You're going to wish you hadn't. Believe me. Let her go. Now." He warned with a tightly controlled voice. He'd unsheathed two deadly looking daggers, as had Alec who was standing tensed and ready on his side.

The man didn't say anything else. Clary was distantly aware that there were other men huddled behind the one still clutching at her, but the next moment, every thought left her head as pain and panic took over.

The vampire's teeth sank into Clary's neck and she screamed. It was a blood-curdling scream of pain that twisted Jace's insides. Throughout his training he's been taught to work out what he was going to do, not blindly run into a fight. He figured out strategies. Exits, possible weapons or weak spots. An important one was the stakes.

So, Jace and Alec had been doing just that. But, as the sound of flesh ripping open and the sight of Clary's blood dripping down her neck, Jace forget his training. He plunged forward, hacking the knife into the vampire's neck. It howled in pain and fell back against the others, releasing Clary to where she fell to the floor. The others advanced forward like an angry mob in a cheesy gang movie.

Alec and Jace exchanged a glance. There were four, maybe five, super fast, super strong vampires and probably more downstairs. The time for thinking had passed. Time to blindly fight.

Clary was panicked. She felt the pain and the liquid flowing down her neck. She saw the widening of Jace's eyes. She saw his advance and felt the smack of the floor on her forehead as she was dropped suddenly. She must have blacked out for a second as when she opened her eyes she was curled on the floor near where four of the men were advancing on Jace and Alec. Both had weapons in hand and a determined expression.

Her forehead throbbed where she'd hit it on the floor and she was sure she could feel the wetness of blood mingling with the tears that were blurring her vision. Her head felt heavy, she closed her eyes and struggled to open them again. When she finally did, she caught a glance of a huge wolf, bounding up the stairs and joining the fight. She saw it glance back once, looked at her as though he actually saw her, as though it was registering her. The last thing Clary saw before the blackness took her was the wolf's teeth closing on one of the men's shoulder and tugging.

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Right, the next chapter shouldn't take long. But, in case you want to read more Jace & Clary stores of mine, go to my profile, i have several :D Thanks for reading R&R R&R x


	12. Chapter 12

_It's been a long time since I've written, i know. But it's not my fault! I've been mega busy. Anyway, I've finally got this up and though I don't think it's my best work, by far, I hope you like it. Please review, I love reading what you've got to say! Thanks for all the reviews and those of you who've added my story or me to your alert subscription and favourites The next chapter shouldn't be long, in the next couple of days and believe me, It's going to get more extciting!_

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or anything else to do with The Mortal Instrument.**

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The fight was the messiest and weirdest one either Jace or Alec had ever fought in. Soon after the wolves arrived, banging through a room at the far end of the landing, Jace and Alec had very little to do. The wolves tore into the shocked vampires and filled the little landing until Jace and Alec were forced to back up against the wall.

'What the hell is going on?' Alec breathed.

'I have absolutely no idea.' Jace replied before swooping to pick the unconscious Clary from the floor. She was very white and very unconscious. Panicked, Jace forgot about the fight in the hall and banged back into the bedroom where they'd first found Clary and placed her on the bed, leaning over her and checking her pulse to check if it was even.

'Jace, Iratze!' Alec urged. Jace jumped into action. How could he not think of this strait away? It wasn't ten minutes ago that he found out that Clary was a shadowhunter. She was tough and strong and she could receive runes without turning into a forsaken. Yet, even after tracing the steele over her skin with the healing rune and actually seeing it work instantly, her face relaxing, the cuts healing and the colour returning to her face, it was difficult to believe it. She was so fragile looking. Jace took her in his arms and could feel her bones through her skin, her ribs must be protruding. Had she always been like this or was it the stress of the last few days that had caused her to lose weight. Her face was still white with her cheeks starting to look pink, but the thin eyelids that hid her beautifully green eyes were almost blue with translucently.

The opening of the door jumped Jace back to action. Here he was, pondering the colour of a girl's skin while a small battle was finishing off on the other side of the door. What had happened to him? When had he become a pathetic romantic?

The man standing in the doorway was someone Jace thought he'd seen before. It must have been on one of his Clave missions, he was sure this man was a member of the local werewolf pack, which made sense seeing as there were wolves in the hallway dragging bleeding corpses of vampires into one pile in the middle of the stained carpet. Jace and Alec went out into the hall, closing the door quietly and leaving Clary sleeping on the bed.

'Shadowhunter,' the werewolf said, 'we arrived here in our human forms. We climbed up and came through the window before transforming. No one but you know that we were here tonight and as we do not wish for a war between children of the night and the children of the moon we would appreciate it if we kept our presence here a secret, even from the clave. Do what you want with the bodies, burn them for all we care-'

'So we have to clean up after you? We didn't need yo-' Jace began before Alec cut across him.

'Thank you, we won't tell or forget this.' Alec said while Jace grumbled. He didn't like that the wolves had fought for them, and liked even less the way they spoke to him now. Then Alec asked a question that pushed these thoughts from his mind for the time being.

'Why did you though? Why would you-'

'We must leave now. Our business is ours.'

With that they all herded into the room they'd come in from and soon the sounds of paws hitting wood ceased and there were shouts as they helped each other through the window.

'Great.' Jace grumbled.

'I'll sort these,' Alec sighed, nodding towards the pile of vampires, 'You get Clary back to the institute'.

'Right.' Jace nodded, opening the door and coming to an abrupt halt. The bed was empty and the window was open. Clary was gone.

Jace didn't say anything. He ran to the window and gazed out. There was no sign of her but he didn't move. He just stared through the window at the ground below with a sombre expression. She was gone. Again.

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Simon didn't know why he was there. He hadn't expected Clary to be there. But it was the only place he felt he knew was connected to Clary. He's walked around the building he'd been in so many times three times and hadn't, in the past twenty minutes, had the courage to go inside. It was as though there was something warding him off. He didn't enter.

Instead he leaned against the wall, thinking. He didn't understand what was going on with Clary. She was obviously going through something, some sort of trauma from losing her mother, what had the kidnappers done to her? What had she witnessed? All of these were questions he should have forced out of her before it was too late. He hadn't helped her right. He'd failed her. If he found her again, he was going to do things right.

'I'm going to get her the right help.' he said to no one.

Then, as he was scanning the buildings one last time, he saw her, walking towards the building. She wasn't walking normally. It wasn't a limp exactly, but she looked weak, as though walking was an effort. She also had blood in her hair and along one side of her face and across her clothes. What the hell had she been up to?

She hadn't seen him yet and so he quickly retrieved into the shadows, pulling out his phone. As he had said, he was going to get her the right help...

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_I'm soo looking forward to writing the next chapter! Should be getting more exciting! I'll leave you guessing what Simon means with 'the right help'. Bless him, his heart is in the right place! Anyway, should be a couple of days or less! Remember to REVIEEEWWW!_


	13. Author's note

Wow, time has flown, I haven't written in ages! I just haven't had the time. By now the 4th and 5th book has come out and they are just amazing aren't they?

Anyway, thank you for all of the comments! I really love reading them! I'm planning some new chapters to this story and have some fresh ideas for new ones inspired by the new awesome story lines in the new novels!

So yeah, keep an eye out cos I've got a lot planned

Lots of Love,

MD 3


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